A few weeks ago, we gathered at the beautiful Carolina Inn to enjoy one of our favorite Southern Weddings Christmas traditions–our annual Gingerbread Barn Building Competition! It’s the perfect way to kick off the festive season, and we’re always impressed with the creations y’all devise. (In fact, I’m kind of glad my role as judge keeps me out of the competition!)
Big hugs to Taylor Lovette of Blue Barn Photography, who captured every graham cracker roof, pretzel path, and animal cracker reindeer!
With Lisa home with flu-like symptoms and Kristin at home in Florida, it was just Nicole, Lara, and I on duty to greet our largest crowd ever! We were so glad that many friends joined us in donning festive aprons – a Gingerbread Barns staple.
As construction got underway, it was so fun to see blueprints and napkin sketches come to life. Inspiration ranged from a family farm, to the retirement dream of two friends, to the Biltmore Estate, to a favorite flea market!
Yes, that’s what the creators dubbed a “barñata”!
After some impromptu caroling by our youngest guests (that’s Lara’s daughter Grace up there on the right!) and lots of deliberation between Nicole and myself, we handed out the grand prize and honorable mentions, including Most Architecturally Creative, Most Structurally Sound, and Best Story. The competition is fierce for every category!
Thank you so much to everyone who joined us at this year’s competition, and to The Carolina Inn for hosting us all–we can’t wait to see what y’all come up with next year!
We had so much fun! Thanks for having us :-)